How we cite our quotes: (Part.Paragraph)
Quote #4
This wrong can never be made right and only the impossible can make me still: can a way be found to make what happened not have happened? (2.3)
The past cannot be undone. Although many of the individuals who oppressed her people are no longer around, their actions still affect the course of history.
Quote #5
Have you ever wondered why it is that all we seemed to have learned from you is how to corrupt our societies and how to be tyrants? You will have to accept that this is mostly your fault. (2.6)
Again, Kincaid emphasizes the way that the past defines the present. She's doesn't excuse the government for being corrupt, but rightfully points out that the only example for rule they have in the past is a corrupt one.
Quote #6
As for what we were like before we met you, I no longer care. No periods of time over which my ancestors held sway, no documentation of complex civilizations, is any comfort to me. (2.6)
Although the past is important to Kincaid, it's most important insofar as it relates to the present. What's the value of an illustrious past if it was thoroughly destroyed along the way to the present?